Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Property Is No Longer a Theft (1973)

Property Is No Longer
a Theft is the kind of film that I had to chew on for quite some time
before putting a single word down about it. Part of this is because the film
defies the limits of the genres that it fringes on, never settling on one to be
the focus and instead existing in the blurred spectrum of definition. The other
part is that the film is odd in its execution. It’s a film where themes and
focuses between characters and plot seemingly float in and out leaving far more
questions about what the intent of the film was and its commentary than
anything else. It’s a lot to chew on. It’s no wonder that Arrow Academy decided
to give the film a nice robust home video release. Property Is No Longer a Theft is the kind of artistic film that
rests just below the mainstream appeal of a loud cult audience that will stand
up for it as years go by, yet it deserves some kind of attention because of its
artistic merit. While my initial feelings on the film are mixed, there is mad
respect for Arrow Academy to give this film some love and dedicated cinephiles
should most certainly experience it for themselves to see how they feel about
the entire thing.

Mr. Total (Bucci) is sick of his job at the bank. In particular,
it’s the dedicated customer (Tognazzi) of the bank, a very rich butcher and questionable
human being, that starts Mr. Total on his self-destructive path towards his
hatred of money. Quitting his job, he decides the only way to live is to start
stealing things and the main focus of his new found obsession The Butcher whom
he vows to steal everything that he considers property. A knife, his hat, even
his mistress.

You never know who is watching.

On the surface, Property Is No Longer a Theft is a film that would seem to be a dramatic thriller
with comedic elements. On the surface, that is. The film, tonally, meanders
around being dramatic, thrilling, erotic, and comedic with almost no regard to
what piece is going to show up when. The film does an admirable job in
navigating the narrative tone in smaller moments though and it flows well
during individual scenes as characters interact in unique and often
non-traditional ways. The overall structure of the film however tends to be a
tad choppy. Character monologues, where individual characters address the
audience in a surrealistic black box and shadowy location, cut the film into
various parts where the protagonist role can change for that next fifteen to
twenty minutes. At first, it feels unique and fresh, but by the third act it
feels as though it might be a stylistic choice that’s meant to cover up the
lacking narrative flow in changing up the driving motive for characters during
that portion. The rich butcher’s girlfriend, for example, is followed for a
portion of the film in the second act, but only pops up randomly after the fact
as her character becomes less important to the plot on hand. That’s how Property Is No Longer a Theft works with
its story and it can be both intriguing and often frustrating for its audience.

This approach to the narrative with its shifting focuses and
style does give Property Is No Longer a
Theft the ability to be layered and artistic in its thematic focus. While there
is a lot to consume in how the director and writers approach the subject matter
of economic power, which is covered very thoroughly in the booklet that comes
with the film and is perhaps the best feature and required reading after seeing
it, it does make the film one that different viewers will see differently.
Interpretation of the material is inherent to the enjoyment of the film. The
execution solidifies this fact as the performances, tone, editing, and visual
blend all support the film’s artistic commentary on the power of money,
property, and materialism. I’m hardly an expert on the subject matter or the
time context of the film, but it certainly has enough universal satire and
commentary boiling underneath its dry wit and quirky approach that the film is
still relevant to this generation.

The occupation of a butcher is a nice parallel to the film's themes.

As mentioned, this Arrow Academy release of the film is
robust and swollen with great features for those looking to purchase Property Is No Longer a Theft. Perhaps
the best part was the extensive essay included with the release that is the
perfect viewing companion, but the rest of the release is stacked too. This
goes along with the crisp restoration of the film that will have fans of
classic Italian cinema stoked to dig into the release. You can read a list of
the various features that are included on this release below.

Even as I continue to chew on the dense thematic approach
and execution of Property Is No Longer a
Theft, it seems to be that no matter how I feel in the end that this is a
movie that affects its audience. It’s a trait too often overlooked in cinema
and the ability to strike a strong message, but allow its audience to interpret
its style and approach in different manners makes the film a sure fire
overlooked gem. Not all of it works on the whole, mostly due to its strange
structuring, but the films makes a strong enough mark that it comes with a huge
recommendation.

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Osaka Asian Film Festival 2018

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